The vividly painted Magical Mystery Tour bus pulled up outside Ringo Starr's childhood home in Liverpool yesterday.As tourists craned their necks to gawp at 9 Madryn Street, where the Beatles' drummer was born, the residents were contemplating their future.

The 150-year-old two-up, two-down terrace house is one of 6,800 homes in the city which have been earmarked for demolition in one of Liverpool's worst batterings since the Luftwaffe.

Yesterday, Prince Charles criticised the government for its proposals to demolish swathes of terrace housing in the north and the Midlands.

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Wayne L.

I think the British politicians in Liverpool are CRAZY wanting to demolish Ringo's house since it's a part of Beatles history just as much as John & Paul's childhood homes, Strawberry Fields & Abbey Road.

if it's in a slummy area where renevating it will give nothing back to the neighbor hood...then smash it down.can you imaging the smells in 150 year old house??all the splashed p*ss on the walls and floor.the plumbing has gotta be behind too..at least the building has settled.what kind of foundations are there to their slabs??

Ringo Starr's childhood home could be spared from demolition after a decision to consider more residents' views about plans to clear hundreds of homes in Liverpool, it has emerged.The move comes as the housing minister, Yvetter Cooper, revealed to SocietyGuardian.co.uk that the government itself wants to review the number of homes being knocked down under its controversial housing market renewal programme to tackle rundown areas in the north of England and Midlands.

As part of that programme, Liverpool city council had been expected to approve the government-backed clearance of 470 homes in the Toxteth area, including the ex-Beatle's former home at 9 Madryn Street.

But at a meeting on Friday, the council decided it wanted to carry out more consultation on the plan.

The deferral of decision was welcomed by residents, whose criticisms of the original plans have been backed by Starr.

Speaking to the Liverpool Daily Post, the council's Liberal Democrat leader, Mike Storey, said: "Much of this is being forced upon us by central government and we do not want to be steam-rollered into a decision before we understand what people want."

Under the housing market renewal programme, nine pathfinder areas, including Merseyside, have been earmarked a share of